What Biden is doing in his lame duck era : NPR

Wilmington, Delaware, population 71,000, is an unlikely location for a summit of world leaders gathering to discuss issues facing the Indo-Pacific region.

But this weekend, President Biden will host representatives from India, Japan and Australia in his beloved home town to discuss military and coast guard cooperation, as well as joint efforts in cervical cancer research.

It’s an example of how Biden is filling his schedule with a mix of the personal and the political, keeping his own accomplishments in mind as he nears the end of his presidency, something he is increasingly acknowledging in public.

President Biden holds a jersey presented to him by the University of South Carolina women’s basketball team during an event celebrating the 2023-24 championship season at the White House on Sept. 10, 2024.

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Take last week’s debate, for example: It was originally planned as a second showdown between Biden and former President Donald Trump, but Biden pulled out after the first debate.

Biden served as not one but two hosts while Vice President Harris prepared to take the stage. Events honoring university sports teamsTo one of the winning coaches, he joked, “I won’t be here next year, but you might be.”

Biden later spoke to reporters on the White House South Lawn on his way to New York City. “I’m going to New York to celebrate my granddaughter’s birthday, and then I’m going to watch the debate,” Biden explained.

University of Connecticut Huskies basketball players present President Biden with a jersey during a celebration of the 2024 NCAA championship season at the White House on September 10, 2024.

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Biden has been stepping out of the spotlight as the campaign has progressed, but he still has four more months in the nation’s highest office and he’s looking to make the most of it.

Biden’s chief of staff, Jeffrey Zients, recalled the Sunday morning in July when Biden called to say he was dropping out of the race.

“He immediately began planning for the remainder of his term and told me, and I remember him clearly, ‘I want these next few months to be as productive, if not more productive, than any other period of my administration,'” Zients said.

This final period in a president’s term is known as the lame duck period, but the term underestimates the work that can actually be done, said Eric Schultz, the last Obama administration official.

Schultz said Obama had instructed his staff to give their all. “Even in the worst of times, he made it clear that there is no other place in your life, in your job, in your role, in the arena where you can have as much impact,” Schultz said.

Schultz said that feeling may be even stronger for Biden and his team because he’s only in the job for four years instead of eight.

President Biden embraces Evan Gershkovich The Wall Street Journal A journalist is released from Russia in a multinational prisoner swap at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on August 1, 2024.

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Even on the day Biden finished vying for a second term — perhaps one of the lowest days of his career — he was on the phone trying to secure a complex multinational prisoner exchange that would become a major highlight.

Ten days later, Biden was at the airport watching three Americans wrongfully detained in Russia reunite with their families in the United States, an exchange he said would not have been possible without the strong relationships he had fostered during his time in office.

“Allies make a difference. They stood up for us and they seized the opportunity. That was so important,” Biden said.

President Biden spoke at an event at Vernon Electric Cooperative in Westby, Wisconsin on September 5, 2024.

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But much of what Biden has been doing recently hasn’t garnered much attention, even though Zients said his actions will have a big impact.

“He’s certainly been on the road, crisscrossing the country. Earlier this month, he announced the largest rural electrification investment since President Franklin Roosevelt, and that was in Wisconsin,” Zients said.

Westby, Wisconsin, to be exact, where Biden’s heart was lightened enough to mention the long-dead senator.

“The first time I came here was almost 180 years ago with William Proxmire, and I was a 31-year-old senator. I’m 40 now,” Biden said.

Biden has been working to shore up support for bills that are a big part of his legacy, including the infrastructure bill, the CHIPs and Science Act and the Curb Inflation Act.

“I return today to kick off a series of visits and events that showcase the progress we’ve made together through our Invest in America plan,” he said.

The president, who has long had a passion for foreign policy, also has several international trips planned in the final four months of the term.

And Biden will return to the blue wall states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where he is most likely to support VP Harris’ campaign. With time running out, Biden is well aware that the outcome of this election will play a major role in determining how he will be remembered.

President Biden will speak at the Economic Club of Washington, DC on September 19, 2024.

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NPR Michael Levitt and Megan Lim contributed to this story.